Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 344 pages
• Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press August 1, 1993
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0801846323
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0801846328
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Review
"This eloquent, lucid, and complex work is the product of remarkable intelligence and erudition; it is a profound contribution to the understanding of the cultural hegemony of the West."--'Religious Studies Review' "All articles are extremely well written, exhibit impressive scholarship, and are thoughtful and are thoughtful and stimulating. Asad's criticisms are neither judgmental nor self-righteous but are generally driven by the will to understand."--'Contemporary Sociology' "All of the chapters in this volume, with the exception of chapter 6 on the 'Limits of Religious Criticism in the Middle East,' have been previously published. Although there is thus nothing particularly new in this collection, the resulting volume is remarkably coherent and integrated. It is gorgeously written, impressively argued and clearly presented as a contribution both to the historical understanding of the emergence and developmentof anthropology, and to our appreciation of the nature of Islam and Christianity within a global order. This book should be understood as a contribution to civilizational analysis somewhat along the lines of Eric Wolf's 'Europe and the People Without History'. Professor Asad is concerned to address the fact that anthropology has been too easily thought of as merely a western analysis of primitive people, or developing societies in relation to Western colonialism and their resistance to medernity and historical evolution. Asad wishes to turn the tables on this approach by seeking to understand the West within an anthropological framework. In order to achieve this end, he looks at the interrelationship between Christianity and Islam, and anthropological responses to these 'world religions.' We might say that this theoretical and political project involves a deconstruction of the 'West' as a privilged tradition orsociospatial configuration that has been immune to anthropological hermenutics." --'The Sociology of Religion', Fall 1994 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review


"This eloquent, lucid, and complex work is the product of remarkable intelligence and erudition; it is a profound contribution to the understanding of the cultural hegemony of the West." -- Ralph M. Coury, Religious Studies Review



"All articles are extremely well written, exhibit impressive scholarship, and are thoughtful and are thoughtful and stimulating. Asad's criticisms are neither judgmental nor self-righteous but are generally driven by the will to understand." -- James R. Wood, Contemporary Sociology

Reader Reviews
A fascinating book, in which the author argues that "religion" as a historical and political category was created in Europe, an interesting book.